England Receives Boost with Rice, Guehi, and James Back in Training

England’s preparations for their World Cup quarter-final with Norway in Miami were lifted by a wave of good news on Friday, as Declan Rice, Marc Guehi and Reece James all stepped back into training.

What had looked like a mounting fitness headache has eased at just the right moment.

Rice, who had been isolated from the squad after falling ill in the aftermath of Monday’s last-16 win over Mexico, rejoined the group at England’s Miami base. The midfielder had been kept away from team-mates as a precaution, but any fears of him missing the quarter-final eased as he took part in the session.

Alongside him was Guehi, whose absence from training in Kansas City on Thursday had sparked concern over a possible hamstring issue. The defender moved freely in Miami, a significant relief for a back line that has already been stretched during this tournament.

The sight of James on the grass added another layer of optimism. The right-back, recovering from a hamstring problem, trained with the squad for the first time in almost three weeks. His workload is being carefully controlled and he is unlikely to start against Norway, but his presence alone signals progress at a crucial stage of the tournament. If England go deeper into the competition, his return could become a major storyline.

There was one notable absentee. Jordan Henderson, who broke his wrist and arm in the chaotic celebrations that followed the win over Mexico, sat out the session and will not feature on Saturday. His injury, suffered in the most unexpected of circumstances, leaves England without one of their most experienced voices on the pitch.

Jarell Quansah is also unavailable. The defender begins a two-game suspension after his red card in the last match, further trimming England’s defensive options despite Guehi’s return.

The day carried a touch of glamour off the pitch as well. Sir David Beckham dropped in to visit the squad at the Inter Miami training centre, the club he owns. The setting underlined the scale of the occasion: a World Cup quarter-final in Miami, England working on Beckham’s turf, with a place in the last four on the line.

While the medical bulletin leaned positive, the mood around the camp remains wary rather than complacent. Norway arrive with Erling Haaland as their headline act, but Jamie Carragher has warned that focusing solely on the Manchester City striker would be a mistake.

The Sky Sports pundit is backing England to edge it 2-1, yet his prediction comes with a clear warning. He highlighted Norway’s performance against Brazil, where they not only beat the South Americans but controlled long spells of the second half, dominating possession and fully deserving their win.

Carragher stressed that Norway are no one-man show. Haaland may be the name that draws the spotlight, and he believes the forward will go down as “the greatest goalscorer of all time”, but the supporting cast has the quality to hurt England if they switch off.

So England step into the Miami heat with key players returning, one or two patched up, and a clear message ringing in their ears: the opportunity is there, but underestimate Norway and this World Cup journey could end abruptly.